Sipho Mbule’s former youth coach, Pitso Mokoena, has revealed what he believes drives the partnership between ‘MasterChef’ and Oswin Appollis at Bafana Bafana.
The Orlando Pirates duo of Mbule and Appollis have made it into Hugo Broos’s 25-man final squad for the CAF 2025 AFCON tournament, which is set to be held in Morocco.
The prestigious tournament kicks off on 21 December 2025 and runs until 18 January 2026. Bafana are drawn in Group B of the competition alongside Egypt, Angola, and their neighbours Zimbabwe.
On 22 December, South Africa will face Angola in their first group-stage game at the Grand Stade de Marrakech.
Meanwhile, on 16 December, they are set to face Egypt at the Adrar Stadium in Agadir. Their last group game will be against the Warriors of Zimbabwe at the Grand Stade de Marrakech on 29 December.
WHAT PITSO MOKOENA SAID ABOUT MBULE AND APPOLLIS’ COMBINATION
Mokoena mentioned that the partnership between Mbule and Appollis functions seamlessly due to their familiarity from their club level, with their talent putting the cherry on top.
For example, last month, in their international friendly against Zambia, Mbule provided a beautiful assist to Appollis, who broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute of the game. The Bethlehem-born star went on to provide another assist to Mohau Nkota in the 62nd minute of the contest. The game ended 3-1 in favour of Broos’s boys.
“The talent is there to boost the understanding of each other. Well, if you could see Appollis and Mohau Nkota when they play with Sipho, they bring out something special; they are really talented,” Mokoena told FARPost.
“I will emphasise that the understanding among these boys [Appollis and Sipho] is the main factor. I also think that their experience playing together at Orlando Pirates works to their advantage.
“Now, their understanding extends to the national team level. When you look at it, you have Teboho Mokoena next to him [Sipho], and the quality of the other players makes it a lot easier. However, the combination comes from the club level, and it really goes a long way and translates into the national team.”
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